A Chance for Diego
by valhallababe
Summary: When a female saber-tooth encounters the herd,Diego starts to recall what it was like being with one of his own kind.After repressing them for so long,will he finally be able to express his natural instincts?And perhaps experience something new? DiegoxOC
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! Now this is my very first fanfic EVER! so PLEASE be considerate! Reviews are encouraged, even critical ones! Now, I wrote this story c'uz I couldn't find many Diego-meets-other-saber type fics, SO, since my head is full of day dreams anyway, I thought I'd give it a shot. Please everyone, ENJOY! ^^**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters from any of the Ice Age movies. All characters from the Ice Age series are solely the property of copyright Bluesky Studios and Fox Entertainment. I only own the OC. Thank you!!**

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Chapter 1

Manny lifted a fallen trunk from the path, clearing the way for Elli. As he held his trunk out for her, she took it with hers, and he found that he was truly at ease, here under the snowy rocks and trees. Noticing his gaze, Elli looked up at him, eyes innocently questioning.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing," he said. "Just thinking about how lucky I am. I've got the perfect mate, and the perfect baby."

She smiled up at him.

"Well, while it is nice to be alone now and again…" she drifted off.

"Yeah, I know. We just need Peaches here to make it whole." A worried look crossed his face, and his brows furrowed, "Are you sure we should have left Peaches alone with Sid?" He stopped walking. "'Cause I'm not so sure that it's – "

"They'll be fine," she cut him off warily, before he got started _again_. "Peaches always has a great time with Sid. And he loves looking after her."

"Yeah, but whenever they've been playing hide-and-seek recently, I don't know if Sid is really playing when he says, 'Where are you? '" He resumed walking again, matching Elli's stride. "I just don't think he should be watching her alone."

"Well that's fine." she said brightly. "Eddie and Crash are with him."

He raised a brow at her comment, as if she had proved his point. "You're right, now I feel much better."

She rolled her eyes at him as they made their way back home. "You're just overreacting. They're great sitters."

As they neared the playground where their herd was most likely to be, they saw Sid scrambling around, while Dash and Eddie climbed up trees or large boulders to look over the snowy ground.

"Peaches? Here little Peaches?" Sid called as he furtively looked behind rocks and around tree trunks.

"Uh-oh," Elli muttered, an anxious expression draping over her face as she spotted no sight of their small little mammoth. They both hurried over to the oblivious sloth.

Hearing they're arrival, Sid let out a surprised yelp, the two possum brothers darting behind him looked up with sheepish smiles with false enthusiasm. "Oh, h-hey Manny! Did, uh, did you have a nice walk?" He gulped nervously, having two towering mammoths glaring down at them all.

Manny's brows furrowed low as he strode over to the sloth, towering over him, murmuring in a deep tone that held both menace and exasperation. "Sid. Where's Peaches?"

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End Notes: Yeah, sorry it's so short guys. It was late and I really just wanted you to get a sort of feel for my writing. I should be posting another soon, because I hate having to wait as much as any other totally-obsessed-about-to-kill-that-awesome-writer-who-never-updates fangirl. SOOOOOOOO please R&R. Thanks so much! Keep posted! ^_~

**Updated: Also, I've come to realize that this chapter is somewhat "weak" compared to the others (as well as not ****completely**** necessary to understand the rest,) but if you didn't really enjoy this chapter, PLEASE try the next chapter! As I've mentioned this is my first chapter of my first fic, and I did get some good advice on improving my writing, so please keep reading, and I hope you'll find that the writing improves! Thanks so much!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Okay, here's chapter 2! Wa hoo! Phew, didn't think I'd make it this far. *wipes off brow* lol j/k. Okay, so I got a review saying that maybe I should've put more details of the characters and the surroundings, so I made it a point to correct that in this chapter. Hope it's up to standards! And thanks for the reviews guys! Even critical reviews make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside! So keep em' comin' everybody! Enjoy!!! :-p**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters from any of the Ice Age movies. All characters from the Ice Age series are solely the property of copyright Bluesky Studios and Fox Entertainment. I only own the OC. Thank you!**

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Chapter 2

A golden tan figure stalked through the deep snow, pushing against the wind and snowfall, trying to keep her direction.

_Stupid snow,_ she thought to herself as calm gray eyes struggled to peer out through the falling ice crystals. _It looks the same in every direction!_

Nera had been traveling for about a month now, and recently, hunting game had become more and more difficult. It seemed like the farther she came, the more scarce game was. Not the most favorite situation for a saber tooth. _If this keeps up, I might actually have to reduce myself to searching the trees for one of those scrawny little squirrels._ She shuddered at the mere thought.

_Guess I'm not that desperate_, she thought grimly. Just then, a well-timed rumble emitted from her thinning stomach. _Yet,_ she sighed wearily. Without the protection of the nearby trees, the cold wind, blowing snow, and lack of food were making her irritable.

"Not like I have a choice," she muttered to herself angrily, while warily regarding the dark trees to her left as she pushed on through the snow. Though the open terrain made her more vulnerable to the weather, it allowed her to quickly see if any predator was near. Having a visible disadvantage just wasn't an option right now. Not in the condition she was in. Sliding another glance to the dark foreboding trees, she snorted through her nose in frustration.

_Like I could last five minutes anyway…_

Lost in thought, Nera looked forward to see a small brown bundle in the snow ahead of her. As she silently cursed herself for not paying attention, she started veering off the right, giving the mysterious mound a wide berth. As she passed directly to the right of it, only a few feet away, she could see that it was curled into a furry ball, with a dark reddish tuft of fur on the top of its head.

_Poor little one, _she thought regrettably as she continued on. _The worst time to wander away from your cave._

A few seconds later, she heard a small whimper coming from behind her. Nera turned back, peering intently at the dark creature against the stark white snow, and just barley saw that it was moving. Bending her head down, she looked closer through the snow until she noticed two small white baby tusks.

She raised her head up, eyes wide with surprise and recognition. _A mammoth calf?_ Her stomach growled, reminding her of her intense hunger, and instinctively her mouth watered at the thought of finally quenching the ache in her belly. She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes, shaking her head hard. She must truly be near starving. She would never consider killing such a young animal.

_Besides_, she thought quietly, _mammoth young are never left on their own._ Nera turned her head from side to side, nervously searching for the mother who was surely close by. _And I doubt she'd feel very civil when a saber is hanging around her young._ She'd just taken a step back and turned away when she heard another louder cry from the mammoth calf, and paused. Her eyes slid closed.

_Damn it_.

She let out a long sigh, opened her eyes and turned back to find bright green eyes staring back at her. Any lingering thoughts about using the calf for nourishment vanished when the little bundle of fur struggled to its feet and, without hesitation, shuffled through the deep snow, and crawled between her front legs.

"Well," she said aloud to the little female calf, "I guess you're not afraid of me, are you little one?" She silently wondered why this little mammoth would be so trusting of a creature it should instinctively _fear_. Nera felt her heart go out to the little furry creature, and warily looked around again through the curtain of snow, now _wishing_ that the mother mammoth would come and take care of this innocent little being.

Then a sudden thought dawned on her. _Perhaps her mother _can't _come find her._ She had seen a mother mammoth fight off an attack of over four of her old pack, and still she fought to keep her young calf safe. _Then perhaps her mother… _

Again, Nera felt a pang of sympathy for this sweet little mammoth, along with a sudden, unexpected feeling of protectiveness. When a hard gust of wind blew, Nera crouched lower, covering the shivering mammoth from the wind, and peered down at the tracks in the snow. She could just barely make out tiny little footprints, and her gray eyes following them to the edge of the trees.

_Perfect, _she thought to herself and let out an unsteady breath. She anxiously looked along the edge of the trees, but when the little bundle of fur beneath her let out another cry, she leaned down towards her floppy little ear.

"Alright little one," she whispered soothingly. "We're just going to move forward towards the trees, alright?" When the calf made no response by movement or sound, Nera tried again. "Come on, little one. It isn't far." She gently nudged the furry body with her nose. When, again, there was no response, Nera's heart began to pound anxiously. But when she nosed the calf again, the mammoth finally struggled to her feet. Awash with relief, Nera slowly began moving forward, keeping her body above the calf's, protecting her from the worst of the wind. As they slowly made their way closer to the tight enclosure, Nera worried that she might have to carry the infant on her back. However, the young mammoth managed to force her little legs to move forward, and finally they made it to the safety of the trees.

Entering into the trees, Nera gazed around her, letting her eyes adjust to darkness after staring out at bright white for the last several hours. _It's not as closed in as I thought it would be. _Though the snow-covered leaves blocked out nearly all of the sun, there were surprisingly fewer tree trunks than she would have expected.

_Open. Good._

As the saber shook off the snow clinging to her light golden fur, she could see that the little mammoth was exhausted from the fight against the wind and snow. Nera peered deeper into the trees, finding no breaks or openings that she could see.

"You certainly did come far, didn't you little one?" she murmured almost to herself. She glanced back down at the worn out calf, realizing that there was no way the little calf could carry herself the rest of the way. She sighed heavily, leaning down toward her. "At least you're still small for a mammoth."

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"I told you we shouldn't have left Peaches with them." Manny told Elli over his shoulder as they all scoured the enclosure. Having searched everywhere else, they'd decided that the only place Peaches could be was in the cluster of trees near the playground. Manny, a huge mammoth with dark fur and long jagged tusks, lifted a fallen log, scouting the ground for any footprints. Sid, a tan-colored clumsy sloth with bulky claws and buck teeth, was searching through bushes, and hearing this comment, turned back to Manny.

"I told you, I'm sorry! She was there one minute, and then I tripped over something, and by the time I looked back, she was gone!"

Ellie, another mammoth but with lighter fur, bright green eyes and a reddish tuft of hair on her head, looked over her shoulder sternly. "And weren't you two supposed to be helping him?"

Two balls of black and white striped fur jumped down to the ground in front of the group and looked sheepishly up at their 'sister.'

" Well, we were. But at the time…" Eddie kicked a small pebble, his hands behind his back.

"We were tripping Sid!" Crash said grinning, pointing over to the sloth, who in turned glared back.

Manny halted in the middle of the path, clearly at a loss for what to do. He turned his head towards Ellie.

"Maybe we should find Diego."

"He'd gone off on his own after you two'd left." said Crash, his possum brother nodding his head vigorously beside him.

"Yeah and it's a good thing, too. He was starting to get moody again." Sid added as he pushed forward past a low branch, only to have it spring back against him, sending him sprawling on the ground. The possum brothers jumped onto his back to stare up at the dark mammoth.

"Doesn't matter," Manny said. "Diego's a good tracker and it'd help if – "

"Isn't that him over there?" Ellie interrupted, her trunk pointing off to the left of the path. There amidst the trees was a golden saber with a distinctive bundle of dark fur slung over its back.

"Diego!" Manny yelled excitedly, enthusiastically giving a loud call through his trunk. All of them hurried through the trees to the two creatures.

Diego sat diligently on a snowy rock, looking out over the fields, waiting patiently for something to hunt. His dark golden fur rustled as the wind passed over him, his piercing green eyes darting over the rough ground below. His gaze wandered over the terrain, melted snow in some places and patchy dry earth in others. He'd been edgy all day and had decided that hunting would be a good way to occupy his mind.

He needed the distraction.

Recently he'd begun to grow restless, but he couldn't figure out why. He enjoyed playing with little Peaches, and made sport of chasing around Sid and the possums. But he always had to be so careful with them. It's true he thought of them as his herd, but there were some considerable differences between this herd and a true saber pack.

_Like hunting_, he thought as he gazed over the ground. In his old pack sabers always hunted together. Sure, he hunted fine on his own, even enjoyed the solitude of it at times. But he missed the bond of a hunting pack, which is something he couldn't experience with his current herd. Of course he didn't regret his decision to leave; otherwise he wouldn't be here now with his friends. But he missed having others of his kind to run with, to become accustomed to their hunting styles, and he missed sharing the victory of a kill.

If he told the others about how he'd skillfully cornered an antelope against a vertical rock face, he didn't think they'd be too enthusiastic about his activities.

Suddenly, his whole body instinctively tensed as he caught sight of a small rabbit straying out into the field, tempted by the freshly grown grass. It wasn't his usual prey, but it was the only thing he'd spotted in hours. He quietly got to his feet, and readied to crouch down for the starting leap.

Then he heard an unexpected deep trumpeting call. _Must be Manny. How many other mammoths are there? _A foreign thought crept in._ At least there's one other for him._ He halted in his steps. _Where had that come from?_ He thought uncertainly, then shook his head hard, as if to rid it immediately. There was nothing wrong with his herd. Strange as they were, they satisfied him…mostly. His brows drew together as he lifted out of his crouch. Though the call hadn't sounded urgent, Diego found himself turning away from his prize. Already forgetting his quarry, he turned his back on the munching rabbit, and his thoughts turned inward, he trotted into the trees.

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End Notes: Alright everyone, I know Diego wasn't there for very much, but trust me, the next chapter gets interesting! I'm not sure if it'll be up as soon as this one, but I'm gonna try my best! *saluts* Hope everyone liked it! R&R! Thanks! ^^


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes: Alright everyone! Chapter 3 COMPLETE! Hoo hoo hoo hoo!! So this one's got much more action, so I hope no one nods off! Please enjoy, and don't forget: R&R please! :p**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters from any of the Ice Age movies. All characters from the Ice Age series are solely the property of copyright Bluesky Studios and Fox Entertainment. I only own the OC. Thank you!**

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Chapter 3

Nera panted heavily, struggling to stay upright under the weight of the little mammoth on her back. Her lack of food was starting to take a critical toll on her already worn body. She paused in a clearing within the dark enclosure of trees with little snow covering the ground and nearby boulders and bushes, sniffing the ground intently. At the edge of the trees, she thought she'd caught a whiff of a particular scent, but when the little calf had started to shiver, she'd put the thought out of her mind. Finding nothing in this particular area out of place, she decided that they would have to rest here for now. She needed to _hunt._ Otherwise, no matter how much she tried, she wouldn't be able to resist making an easy meal of the small bundle of soft flesh currently resting on her shoulders. She shook her hard. _Knock it off!_ she screamed silently at herself.

As she carefully lowered the baby mammoth to the ground at her feet, keeping her eyes away from the little calf's neck, her head jerked up at the sound of fast, heavy footfalls. Feeling the vibrations through the cold ground under her paws, her body tensed as she whipped her head around to her right, her vision filled with the sight of mammoths, a female with brown fur and reddish fur at her crown, followed closely by a darker male, both stomping towards her.

She immediately determined that the female was the calf's mother by the similar coloring; such an odd shade for a mammoth. Meaning that the male at her heels was most likely her mate. Eyes shining thoughtfully, Nera smoothly stepped away from the baby mammoth, gliding silently into the coverage of the overhanging plants, still visible to the enormous animals, but her visage cloaked by the shadows.

_Shouldn't they be a bit more concerned over the fact that a tiger was just hovering over their cub?_ she thought to herself. A newborn might not know to be wary of a saber, but two full grown mammoths certainly should have gathered that information at some point, right? She didn't have much time to ponder this as another creature, this one a bit smaller than her, greenish and slow, stumbled into the clearing and tripped over a rock jutting from the ground and landed with a thud in front of the mammoths. Paying him no attention, the female gathered up her baby with her trunk, while the male gave a soft rub with his over the calf's cheek. The little mammoth just grinned up at her parents, giggling, delighted with all the attention she was getting.

As the … sloth?... clumsily picked himself from the ground, two small striped rodents raced into the open area, climbing up the sloth's body, then using his head as a springboard, launched themselves onto the male mammoth's back.

_What the …?_

As she tried to make sense of the menagerie of beings before her, trying to comprehend why such diverse animals would be together, she heard the sloth arguing with one of the possums, while the other leapt down to the male's tusk to gently chastise the baby mammoth for "leaving the playground." Meanwhile, the two grown mammoths just stared down in obvious relief as they cuddled their little mammoth cub.

While Nera watched this chaotic commotion unfold, her stomach tightened painfully at the sight of such a mouth-watering arrangement of prey spread out before her. She looked over each animal rationally, trying to decide which mammal would be the best to capture under the circumstances. The possums were the smallest quarry, and probably the fastest, meaning that they weren't worth the trouble for the little amount of meat she would harvest from them. The easiest would obviously be the sloth. She grimaced as she watched him scratch his hind quarters. _Okay, sloth out._ She hungrily eyed the husky mammoth, swallowing audibly as she imagined sinking her fangs into all that meat.

Nera tried to clear her thoughts with a hard shake of her head. Surely she wasn't stupid enough to attempt a kill on a mammoth? On her own? That was saber-suicide. Damn it, she'd just spared the baby. Now she'd leave it fatherless?

Another ravenous look at the mammoth had her gritting her teeth, as her resolve wavered.

Perhaps it was possible. She wouldn't go for the female. She was resolute in that. The cub could keep her mother. But the male was different. The mother could tend to the cub, one parent was plenty. Her smokey eyes scrutinized the dark mammoth. He obviously cared for his mate and baby. He would be distracted trying to protect them. Possibly enough to give her an opening to go for his throat. The mother and baby would be behind him. The other three weren't a threat.

Her target decided, she felt a low growl emit from deep in her throat, and the group turned to her as one, obvious confusion on each mammal's face. As she stepped forward into the light to search for any disadvantages the male might have, he stepped forward, putting himself between Nera and his mate and young calf.

_Predictable_ she silently purred with approval, as she leaned back on her haunches, her blood already pounding for the upcoming challenge.

Just as she was about to launch herself at the mammoth, Nera heard a deep roar from above her, her head jerking up to see a dark golden body lunging for hers, seconds before she was tackled to the ground. As she struggled against the foreign saber, alarm shot through her. _No! They can't have found me already!_

With a feeling close to panic, adrenaline washed through her as she thrashed against the powerful tiger above her, clawing and biting at any flesh within her reach. Both bodies rolled over the ground, growls and snarls erupting from each heaving chest. The saber placed his front paws on Nera's shoulders and pinned her to her back. She flayed beneath him, trying to loosen his grip, and then finally spotted an opening for his stomach. Nera kicked up with her rear legs and connected them against his unguarded stomach, kicking him up and over her head. She quickly rolled to her paws and rose up into a crouched position, teeth bared, as her opponent's actions mirrored her own. Just as he readied to strike again, a growl rising in his throat, the female mammoth called out.

"Diego, stop!" she cried to the saber.

"Ellie!" the male mammoth shouted reprovingly, upset that his mate would break the cat's concentration. True to form, the saber male saber glanced back to them, uncomprehending of her meaning.

However, instead of pressing her advantage, reason returned and Nera realized that a victory would now be impossible with the saber aiding them. She swiftly turned and darted into the nearby shrubs, dashing between tree trunks, and, forgetting the strange group, soon caught onto another trail. Finally, she thought, famished and running out of adrenaline. She dashed over rocks and under branches, following its scent through the brush.

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"What the heck was that?" Sid said, still staring, as was everyone else, at the spot in the bushes where the strange female saber had disappeared.

Diego briefly considered following her and finishing what he had started. His blood was pumping and his heart pounding, his body aching to finish the fight. There had been other feline creatures who'd come near this territory before, but sabers were territorial with their herds. And he'd made a point of leaving his scent around the edge of the area he considered 'his.'

Usually that was enough to discourage most others from intruding. He'd explained this to the others to quell Manny and Elli's concerns about Peaches' safety. What he hadn't told them was that it didn't discourage _all_ other feline predators. There had been a few occasions when a pack of two or three would intentionally invade his borders. That's when Diego would have to force them off his territory.

And it wasn't a chore. Though saber's loved the thrill of hunting, he rarely got opportunities to give into his instinctual desire to battle.

In most saber packs, cubs were encouraged by the grown tigers to "wrestle" with each other, the playful game teaching the young kits hold their own during survival brawls later on. Even once young tigers reached adulthood, it was normal to see two or more cats tackling and nipping at each other. It was all in good fun, and any injuries or bruises were shrugged off as incidental. Usually.

So when the opportunity for Diego to protect his herd would come along, he would eagerly run headlong into a brawl. So naturally, with this new arrival, female or not, his instincts demanded that he rid her from his territory. But it would have to wait for now. Females rarely traveled without a pack, or at least a mate. He finally turned from the bushes and treaded back to the group.

"… need to head back to the cave." Manny was telling Ellie, his trunk gently stroking over Peaches' tufts of fair. "Peaches will need to eat and rest." he continued, even as the little mammoth's eyes were already sliding shut.

"Yeah, before that she-cat comes back." Crash said, he and Eddie still nervously scanning the nearby trees.

"She can't be that bad. She _did_ find Peaches for us." Ellie said hopefully.

"Uh, yeah, she was about to make our baby her lunch!" Manny exclaimed, looking shocked at her statement.

"If she was gonna eat her, then why was she carrying her?" Ellie asked skeptically.

"I don't know," Manny rolled his eyes wearily. "she was probably taking her somewhere more secluded."

Ellie raised a brow, sarcastically stating, "We're in the middle of a forest. How much more secluded can you get?"

When Manny opened his mouth to reply, Diego cut him off.

"She's right Manny," he explained calmly. "She wasn't going to eat her for some reason. She was about to attack you just now. Even I wouldn't try to take down a full grown mammoth single-handedly, let alone two. If she was that desperate for food, I doubt she would've waited to eat just so she could dine in a more private ambiance."

Sid stepped forward. "But if she was starving, then why-"

Suddenly Peaches woke and let out a lusty wail.

"We'll worry about it later. Right now we need to get Peaches home." Manny turned back towards the trail that led back to the shelter the group had designated as their own.

"You go on ahead. I'm gonna go check the perimeter." Diego turned toward the brush. "Odds are there's probably more with her. I'll make a quick run, and then meet you back at the cave." After a nod from Manny, he dashed from the clearing, and within seconds was out of sight.

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End Notes: Hope everyone liked this one! Diego finally had a bigger part lol. And just as a note, yes I know that mammoth babies aren't called cubs, I just have Nera using this term because she's probably more familiar with it when thinking of infant animals(that and I personally think it's a cute term ^_^). And yes, sabers ARE called cubs, because they're tigers! I looked it up haha! ^^; So, please R&R and we'll see if I can keep this going and get you another chapter tomorrow night! Sweet dreams (of Diego) everyone!


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes: Sorry this one took so long guys! (^_^;) Got caught up in some school stuff. But I think you'll be satisfied since it's a bit longer than the previous chapters. Took me FOREVER with this one. Hope it's a hit! **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters from any of the Ice Age movies. All characters from the Ice Age series are solely the property of copyright Bluesky Studios and Fox Entertainment. I only own the OC. Thank you!**

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Chapter 4

Diego walked along the path, trying to tune out the arguing voices of Sid and the possums. He had told the others that he would search for the female alone, in case they'd have another altercation, but Manny had insisted that he shouldn't go alone.

"I can handle this myself." Diego had argued at the cave after he'd returned from patrol. "You'll only get in the way, and I can't be worrying about protecting you while you're trying to protect a baby."

"Ellie and Peaches are staying here." When Ellie opened her mouth to argue, Manny fixed her with a glare. "Peaches is still resting. Someone needs to watch her." Ellie nodded in acquiesce.

"I could –" Sid raised up a clawed finger but shrunk back at the glare from all three of the larger mammals.

"Fine." he said huffily. "Then I'm going, too. Someone's gotta be there when you two get into trouble." he stated assuredly, then strutted forward towards the path leading into the forest.

The two possums had then rolled up in front of Diego, popping open to give their say.

"And you'll need _us_ to scope out the area." Crash stated, Eddie giving a confirming, "Uh huh," before both brothers dashed off to stand beside Sid, Diego glaring after them. He turned back to see Manny turning back to look over at Ellie.

"You two will be okay?" he asked, glancing over towards the spot next to the fire where Peaches slumbered deeply.

We'll be fine." she assured him, twining her trunk with his before turning back towards the cave.

"You boys have fun!" she called over her shoulder, the possums calling the same back to her.

Diego looked up at the dark mammoth, his voice edged with exasperation, intending to try one more time to sway his old friend.

"Manny…" he started, but the mammoth had already started towards the path.

"Come on, Diego, it'll be dark soon," he'd called back as he stomped into the trees.

Diego shook his head now at the thought, as he walked at the head of the group, following the almost undetectable trail that he'd finally managed to pick up of the female, the scent getting stronger as they walked on.

The sun had descended completely soon after they'd started out for the saber. Now, with only a sliver of light from the moon breaching through the thick treetops, the small herd traveled close together, Diego's glowing green eyes guiding them through the trees, aided by the two possums who were scouting from the higher vantage point atop Manny's back. Manny squinted into the dark, his eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness, while Sid stumbled over nearly every rock and stick in his path. As Diego heard him trip in yet another dip in the uneven ground, he flinched at the loud sound in such a quiet setting.

"Sid, we'll never find anything if you can't walk quietly." he growled low at the sloth.

"Well sorry, I can't see anything." he slurred, shuffling his feet along the ground so as not to stumble. "Why are we looking for this cat in the dark anyway? Why don't we just wait 'til morning?" he asked aloud.

Manny looked down at him sardonically.

"You wanna take the chance of her coming back while we sleep?" he stared sternly, waiting for his response.

Sid gulped audibly at the thought.

"Yeah, I thought not." Manny turned back to the front of the path as Crash and Eddie snickered down at the sloth.

"Yeah, since you're the easiest target." Crash scorned, bumping fists with his brother, as the sloth made a sound of alarm.

"I doubt it," Diego spoke up from the lead. While he did tend to enjoy the sloth's discomfort, dear would just make the Sid more nervous, and they'd never catch the female by surprise. Trying to alleviate Sid's anxiousness, he continued. "She's most likely found something else by now."

"And if she hasn't?" Eddie ventured.

"Then she'll be resting somewhere, trying to conserve her strength for as long as possible." An uneasy feeling settled over him. Intruder or not, he didn't like the thought of one of his kind suffering from hunger, especially a female. He remembered how strongly she'd fought against him back in the clearing, when she had obviously been so weak.

What he'd said before was true. If she had been desperate enough to entertain the thought of taking down a grown mammoth, she must have been out of her mind with hunger.

_And there're no others to hunt for her_ he thought, his initial apprehension growing. As he'd skirted his territory earlier, he'd found the site where the saber and Peaches had entered the enclosure, surprised to find it a good distance from where the others had come across them. In his mind, this only verified that she had no initial intentions of making a meal of the young mammoth. But he doubted her resolve would've held out much longer.

But he'd found no other scents mixed with hers, and no trace of other predators around the area or along his territory. So she'd either found the strength to hunt for something else after she'd fled them earlier, or she was hiding somewhere waiting for death. He felt a quiet growl ease from his throat.

_What the hell was she thinking traveling alone?_ His brows furrowed as he turned his unexpected – and unwanted – concern into anger. _And entering another saber's territory, no less._ As the image of her sprawled, unmoving on the cold ground arose in his head, he tried to rid his mind of any concern for the saber, but the idea of the susceptible female suffering lingered in the back of his thoughts.

When he caught the scent of another animal, mixed with the unmistakable odor of blood, he tried to ignore the sense of relief (and pride?) he felt at realizing the female had still managed to find food for herself, even in her condition. His body tensed as he stalked along the path. After noticing his change in demeanor, the others grew quiet, trailing silently behind him.

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Nera languidly licked the underside of her paws as she lay out on her side, the hollow feeling in her stomach finally dissolved.

After finally catching her quarry and immediately setting upon it with a ravenous ferocity, she'd filled her belly, then had looked around to find herself in yet another clearing, but this one was completely open to the night sky. Half of it was surrounded by a wall of rock, meaning she would only have to guard her front. The ground was dry and even, so she'd dubbed it a sufficient place to rest for the night, though she normally preferred sleeping up on a boulder or stump.

_It'll have to do for tonight_ she thought with a shrug, in a much better mood now that her immediate need was satisfied.

Just as she was considering attempting to find a sleeping spot against the wall, her ears twitched toward her left, perceiving a slight rustling in the nearby brush. Nera gave a half-hearted growl, intending to frighten off whatever little creature had decided to wander into what was tonight 'her' clearing.

But instead of hearing the scurrying of a small animal, she jerked her head to the side when she spotted the male saber from earlier emerging from between the trees. As she cautiously rose to her feet, she watched the male mammoth and sloth enter directly after, spotting the two possums atop the mammoths back.

She slowly moved away from the rock wall, not wanting to give them the opportunity of trapping her against it.

As she watched the tiger's gaze pass over her, she took the opportunity to do the same. Earlier, she'd realized that she'd mistaken this male for another. Directly after, she'd cursed herself for making such an obvious error. This male's fur was a deeper shade of gold than her own, with the natural brushes of white around his eyes, mouth, paws, and underside. His fangs were longer than hers, typical in their species. His body was clearly masculine, the strong muscles in his legs moving under his skin as he walked. When her stare returned to his face, his eyes were staring straight back, and she saw the most vivid shade of piercing green she'd ever seen. She watched them drift over to her left, nearer the wall, and followed his gaze to the remains of the deer she'd caught. She turned back to raise a patronizing brow at him.

"Another member of your 'pack'?" she stressed the last word, forcing her voice to sound unconcerned with his answer, but silently hoping it wasn't. She didn't need to make another notion against this saber that would get her killed. Even after her hunger was satisfied, her body was still clearly exhausted, though she made a point to keep her body standing rigidly, her chin up.

When he gave her a short "No," she quietly let out a breath as her gaze unconsciously swept over the group again searching for the missing female and baby mammoth. The tiger must have guessed where her thoughts had gone.

"The baby's with her mother, resting." he informed her, his body seeming to somewhat relax.

She cursed herself silently for being so apparent, then the saber stepped toward her.

"You're trespassing," he stated. "This is my turf."

"Really?" Nera raised a brow again, then tilted her head to the side, sarcastically saying, "I would've never guessed from the way you _jumped me_." She calmly sat back on her haunches, eyes intent.

As the saber furrowed his brows in annoyance, the sloth bravely (or foolishly) stepped ahead of the cat, pointing an accusing claw at her.

"Why did you take Peaches?" he demanded. She assumed 'Peaches' was the baby mammoth.

"Hey, it's not like I was gonna eat her." she defended, then flinched as she remembered her earlier thoughts. "Well," she amended, "I was trying not to. And I didn't!" she pointed out. "Besides, I didn't take her; she approached _me_."

"Peaches must have thought she was Diego." The mammoth thought aloud.

The sloth boldly swaggered forward until he was directly in front of Nera, his eyes squinting scrutinizing her, then circled around her. "Sid." the saber called warningly. Nera pulled her head back as she regarded the sloth with wide eyes as he studied her intently, a paw stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Well, they do look similar," he stated obviously, and Nera rolled her eyes, frowning when again he stopped in front of her.

"Hm, her teeth are smaller than Diego's though." he told the others as he daringly tapped one of her protruding fangs. Diego felt a small tug at his lips as he waited to see how she'd react.

"Oh, trust me sloth, they work fine." she assured him as she leaned her head forward again, making him pull his own back. "Wanna see?" she smirked menacingly, baring her threatening teeth at him.

As he yelped and stumbled back to the mammoth's side, Nera leaned back up, her chest out and a satisfied smirk on her face.

"Like her already." said the mammoth in an amused tone.

At that the saber's mouth lifted into a sideways smile, and Nera felt a mirroring tug on her own, until the saber turned back to her.

"Why are you here?" he asked, his bright green eyes studying her closely.

"Just passing through." she replied nonchalantly, making her eyes appear bored.

"And your pack?" he pressed, taking another step closer.

Nera forced herself to hold her ground. This may be his territory, but she was a saber, too.

"I don't know." she answered honestly.

"Did you get separated?" One of the possums asked.

"No," she responded without hesitation, her voice forceful. The saber narrowed his eyes at her reaction.

"Are they looking for you?" he inquired, his eyes watchful.

This time she did hesitate, and unconsciously took a step back. The saber noticed.

"Yes," she said, unable to keep all of the apprehension out her voice.

"You're running from them." the saber definitely, his eyes narrowing.

Immediately, Nera's back went up. She _wasn't _running from them. The option to stay and survive just hadn't been possible. She'd had no choice but to leave.

"It's none of your concern." she responded, her voice unyielding.

"We could help you." the sloth spoke up.

"Sid!" the mammoth and saber yelled simultaneously.

"What, we've already got one vicious, domineering, carnivorous tiger. What could another hurt?" They continued to glare at him, but they didn't retract his offer, and turned back to her, waiting for her response.

"Thanks, but I don't normally socialize with potential meals. Makes it hard to keep friends, you know." she replied breezily.

After a silent moment, Diego turned back to her. "We could give you protection." he said, surprising Nera enough to reconsider.

There was no way she could fight her whole pack on her own. She'd already known this, which is why she'd had no choice but to flee them. She studied the saber intently.

"Just hours ago I attacked your 'pack.' Now you're offering to protect me against mine?" Her gray eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why the change of heart?"

"You were acting on instinct," he said without a trace of doubt in his voice. "You saw what your mind recognized as food and your body unconsciously responded to that." He looked to the others. She followed his gaze to see the others nodding, seeming to trust his judgment of the situation.

"Though I don't know why you didn't just go for Sid." he used his trunk to point down to the sloth standing beside him.

Nera scrunched up her face. "Don't insult me, mammoth." she said with all seriousness. "I have standards." They all nodded as if this cleared up that question, and the sloth started to retort, then just shrugged.

"So if I would agree and, temporarily, join this…" she searched for an appropriate term. ".._herd_ of yours, previous attack forgotten?" She shook her head, her voice sounding disbelievingly. "I don't buy it." She looked back to the saber.

"What do you want?" she asked, her voice wary.

"Information," he answered. "on who's after you, and why." Nera's eyes narrowed again.

"You'd put your friends in danger just for that?" she asked, letting the disapproval leak into her voice.

"Your coming here has already put them in danger." He said, explaining his reasons, obviously not liking that he had to. "Your pack will follow your trail here, but if we know more about them, we can have the advantage."

"You intend to fight them?" she asked skeptically.

"No one threatens my pack." his eyes grew darker.

Nera couldn't help but respect him for being so protective of what he regarded as his pack. She thought deeply about what he was offering.

She was still weak from her journey over the last few days, and the scuffle today hadn't helped. She was certain if she could just rest for the night, her strength would almost completely return. However, if she refused the saber's offer, she doubted he would let her remain on his territory. And she didn't know how far another sheltered area could be. She didn't think she could stand another night sleeping out in the snow, huddling against a rock or tree for warmth.

_Besides,_ she assured herself, _if I feel I need to, I could always just leave them later._

She let out a defeated sigh as she rose to her feet.

The others took this as her agreement and the possums looked bewildered for a moment.

"Another saber?" One asked, then turned to each other. "Cool!" they both exclaimed.

As the mammals turned back to where they'd entered from, the mammoth led, followed by the sloth, then the saber. The possums bounded from mammal to mammal, jumping from the mammoths back, bouncing off the sloths head, to land neatly onto the sabers back, who continued walking as the two stood to face her.

"I'm Eddie," one said, then slung his arm over his counterpart, "and this is my brother, Crash." the other possum waved. "You've met Diego, the big guy's Manny, and that's Sid." he pointed to the sloth, who gave her a salute.

"Uh, I'm Nera." she said, deciding that it was only a _little_ awkward.

"Welcome to the herd." Crash said enthusiastically. "We should get back to the cave pretty soon. Then you'll meet our sister and her and Manny's baby, Peaches."

At that, Nera's steps slowed as she started to put that together. _Sister…?_ She opened her mouth to question them.

"Don't ask." Diego glanced back over his shoulder. "It'll only confuse you more." he said, then turned forward again.

She furrowed her brows, picking up her pace again, as she blindingly followed the strange group through the trees.

**End Notes: Wahoo! You know she digs Diego's bod! Haha who wouldn't? Anyway, you guys know the drill, PLEASE review! I really like knowing what you all think, even if it's just a short message. Thanks for reading everyone! Peace! (^_^)y (Sorry, I'm just testing smilies, hehe)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello again everyone! First of all, I hope everyone had happy holidays! Secondly, I want to apologize for how long it's taken me to update due to final exams (not to mention the holidays), and to thank all of you for being so patient (for you have a stronger will-power than I.) And lastly, but probably most importantly, I'd like to thank EVERYONE who commented, alerted and favorite my story, even when it took me so long to update. I appreciate it more than you can know! ^^**

**Anyway, school doesn't start up again for another 2 weeks, so I've got plenty of time to write, and hopefully, even after that, I'll still find some time to post a few chapters! So just keep checking in!**

**Lastly, I've recently read through the first chapters and corrected what I think is all of the typos, and touched up a few things. Nothing major, so don't worry about missing something. There! I'm done! On to the disclaimer!!!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters from any of the Ice Age movies. All characters from the Ice Age series are solely the property of copyright Bluesky Studios and Fox Entertainment. I only own the OC. Thank you!**

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Chapter 5

Diego, Manny, and Sid led the group through the trees while Crash and Eddie chatted endlessly with the female behind them. The two had casually jumped onto her back, and, as Diego watched for her reaction – Ellie would kill him if he let something happen to her brothers – he saw her pause only a moment before continuing along the path. Occasionally when glancing back, he would glimpse the edge of her mouth turned up in a small smile at something one of the brothers said. Apparently the fem – _Nera_, he corrected himself mentally, was in better spirits now that she'd eaten. Diego turned his head forward again just as Manny looked down at him on his left.

"So," he started, keeping his voice low so as not to be overheard. "we're protecting the cat who attacked us less than an hour ago?" he asked, raising a brow at the tiger.

"Thought you liked her?" Diego asked the mammoth, mimicking with his own brow.

"Doesn't mean I trust her." he replied.

"Yeah," Sid piped in from between them. "She _is _a tiger."

Diego glanced to his left, glaring down at him. "So am I." he growled menacingly. "Besides, bringing her was your idea." he reminded him harshly.

"That surprised me, too." Manny added, turning his gaze to the saber.

"Her pack is following her, and judging from her reaction, it's probably not gonna be a happy reunion. Whether she leaves or stays, they'll look for her here. If she stays, at least we can get some information about them, have time to prepare." he explained rationally.

"I don't know…" he said uneasily, his voice filled with obvious worry. "I don't trust her around Ellie and Peaches. What if she's still hungry?"

"I wouldn't worry about it, Manny." Diego assured him. "That meal should last her at least another night. Besides, she's exhausted; there's no way she'd have the energy even if she _wanted_ to. But I'll be watching her anyway..." He glanced back again to see Eddie and Crash showing her tricks. When one of the brothers fell into the other, toppling them both to the ground, he saw Nera let out a small chuckle, feeling his own lips tugging of their own accord. Though he could see that her body was nearly drained, he couldn't help but feel oddly satisfied that her health had improved so quickly. His apprehension from earlier for her wellbeing lowered to a slight uneasiness, while not quite disappearing completely. Firmly shaking his head to remove the thoughts, he turned back to Manny.

"They seem to like her." he said, tilting his head to indicate the small group trailing behind them.

"I don't think they're the only ones." Sid said smugly, smirking at Diego.

"Huh?" Diego and Manny replied simultaneously, both mammals confused.

"Personally, I think it's about time." he rambled on.

"Time for what?" Manny demanded before Diego could. Sid's head swung around to stare up at the large mammoth.

"For Diego to settle down, of course!" he blurted, as if it were the most obvious thing.

"Sid, what are you babbling about?" Diego finally growled, frustrated. No one could keep up with the sloths constant scattered thoughts.

"You," he held up a left claw, "and Nera," he held up a right one," together." he finished, linking his hands together.

Diego merely stared ahead, eyes only slightly narrowed, not even bothering to glance at the sloth.

"Manny," he said calmly, "is it your turn or mine?"

"Well, it's mine," Manny said, his tone bored, "but I'll let you take this one."

"Thanks," he said, then a second later bringing his fisted paw to the back of Sid's head, sending the sloth flying forward into the bushes in front of them as they turned a curve in the path. Diego turned his head back to watch as Nera and the possums merely glanced at the bush, the brothers' chatter never stopping, and Nera's pace never slowing. Diego smirked, secretly pleased that she could catch on to the herd's normal behaviors so quickly, then frowned to himself as he turned forward again.

A few moments later, the sloth hurriedly caught up with the two again, taking his place between the mammoth and saber, plucking thorns from his face as he started up again.

"Look, you can't tell me it hasn't crossed your mind." he accused the saber.

"Sid, don't push it." Manny warned.

"What?" he asked obliviously. "All I'm saying is: you're a male tiger, she's a female tiger. It's simple mathematics, Diego." the sloth continued matter-of-factly.

Diego held tightly onto his patience, well used to his friends simple-mindedness.

"Unlike you, Sid, I don't go around creating fantasies about every female of my species I meet." he said.

"Yeah, but how many female sabers do you actually see?" Sid countered.

"Sid. Pushing it." Manny warned again.

"Just because she's a female saber doesn't mean I'm going to get involved with her Sid." the tiger said harshly, becoming truly agitated.

"It worked for Manny." he pointed out brightly, pointing his thumb up at the said mammoth.

"My turn." Manny declared suddenly, his trunk crashing down onto the sloth's head, making him stumble to the ground.

"Thanks," Diego said again, followed by a "My pleasure," from Manny, as Sid gradually lifted himself from the ground again, spitting out twigs.

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As Nera watched the sloth – once again – catch up with the saber and mammoth, she wondered what they were talking about. She'd initially believed they were discussing what to do with her, until they'd started pummeling the sloth. Already getting an idea of the sloth's personality, as well as the other's behavior towards him, she simply observed and followed their example. _And he's obviously used to it _she thought to herself as she watched him pluck the last remaining thorns from his first fall. Her thoughts were confirmed by one of the possum's next words.

"That happens a lot, by the way." The one standing on her shoulders said. "You'll get used to it." the other said, laying casually along her back, throwing small berries into the air, then catching them in his mouth.

Nera surprisingly didn't mind the possums company. Her earlier uneasiness with the strangers had quickly dissolved moments after they'd started through the forest, the brothers soothing her uneasiness as they constantly chattered on endlessly, entertaining her with jumps and tricks. Giving them a lift was easily passable. They were certainly lighter than a baby mammoth.

However, she didn't want them to think that her company was permanent.

"Well," she spoke up, "I probably won't be here long enough." She'd stay to help them. What the saber had said was true: Marek and his pack would follow her trail here. As she'd traveled, she'd made certain never to linger in one place to long, never interacting with any creatures that weren't her next meal. However, it hadn't proved difficult, as there'd been very few stray creatures to avoid, which had made her hunting less profitable as of late. She'd hurried on, eager to find a new pack, hoping that would dissuade Marek.

"No rush," she heard Eddie telling her as she tuned back in to their conversation.

"You don't seem to find it strange having a predator around." she wondered aloud, brows knitted slightly.

"Why should we?" Crash replied from her back, his mouth full of berries, then swallowed them with a loud gulp. "We already have one."

"Yeah, I was gonna ask about that, too." Nera said as her gaze trailed again to the virile saber walking ahead of her. She couldn't deny her curiosity about him. "Why does he travel with you?" she asked the brothers.

"Diego was already with Manny and Sid when us and Ellie met them." Eddie answered. "Sid says he left his old pack."

Nera's ears perked at that, her eyes widening slightly in surprise. _He left his pack? _she thought silently, dazed. _Like me…_

"Why would he do that?" she asked, keeping her voice casual.

"Well," Crash exclaimed, jumping down from her back. "Diego's pack was going to hunt Manny, so Diego joined them to get him and Sid to trust him, so they could spring an attack!" he explained excitedly. Eddie leapt from her shoulders to land in front of his brother, both of them walking beside her as she watched them gesture wildly, acting out the story.

"But when the tigers were going to ambush them, Diego turned on them, and helped Manny and Sid fight them off!" Eddie then tackled Crash, both of them rolling over the ground as Nera sorted out what she'd just learned.

_Not hard to picture him standing up against a pack of tigers,_ she thought, remembering his protectiveness of his herd. _Still…_ she trailed off.

"Why would he willingly give up living with a pack of his own kind?" she pondered aloud. Both brothers popped up in front of her, looked at each other, then both asked.

"Why did _you_?"

She paused in her tracks, then let out a humorless chuckle, shaking her head slightly. "You've got a point there." She glanced ahead again towards the mammals, her gaze automatically sliding to the male saber who was arguing again – still? – with the sloth.

She'd have to tell them. There was no way to avoid it. She'd hoped to, but if they were going to risk themselves to help her, she would have to give them any information that might help them understand.

"But I'll save that for later." she said aloud for the possums to hear, as she turned back to them with a small smile. "And I'd rather only tell it once, and I'm sure the sa– Diego… will want to know." she nodded ahead of them, indicating the tiger.

She started walking again, then soon felt them leap back onto her shoulders. Soon the silence passed, and they started 'filling her in' about how they'd joined the others' group, along with their 'sister,' the female mammoth who'd retrieved the calf, explaining how she'd been raised with them as a possum. It was a little confusing, but Nera was sure she'd grasped the main details.

Finally, they emerged from the trees to an open encampment. Nera caught the scents of numerous animals, from beavers, to turtles, to gazelles. As it had been dark for some time, Nera assumed they were most likely all nesting.

The group silently walked through the area, then through a wide opening into a rock cave. Nera could make out a small fire at the far back of the cavern.

As they reached the campfire, Nera spotted Ellie cooing to the calf. Seeing the small bundle giggling happily, she felt the last bit of anxiousness vanish.

Manny stepped towards the two, stopping a few feet away, then crouched slightly, extending his trunk out for Peaches to walk towards him. When she did, he scooped her up, his massive trunk practically swallowing her tiny form, and held her to his face, the little bundle affectionately rubbing against his cheek.

Then Manny gently placed her back on the ground, then moved closer to Ellie, linking their trunks together. Nera watched as Peaches let out a short trumpet as the possums ran over to her.

"Oh!" Nera looked up towards the female mammoth, her eyes meeting Ellie's.

"Hi!" she exclaimed brightly. "We didn't get proper introductions before. I'm Ellie, and this is Peaches." she added, pointing down to the giggling calf.

"Hello," Nera replied, slightly taken aback by the warm greeting. Her and the possums _were _alike. Nera gave the mammoth a small smile, and Ellie's small grew.

"I know we didn't get to say it earlier, and I'm sure they didn't," she rolled her eyes towards the males, "but thank you so much for finding Peaches for us." she said, the gratitude clear in her voice, then she leaned down to ruffle the tuft of hair on Peaches. "She's already a handful." she added affectionately.

"What kid isn't?" Nera replied humorously, relaxing from the female's pleasant demeanor.

"Tell me about it!" she said, chuckling. "Where'd you find her? We met you pretty far out." she asked curiously. Nera could feel Diego's eyes on her, listening intently.

"Actually, I found her farther than that. She was past the trees, in the open. I found her huddled in the snow." she told her.

"She'd gotten that far out?" Manny asked, then turned to glare furiously at the sloth. "You said she'd only been gone for a few minutes!" Sid shrunk back, his paws up in surrender.

Nera continued on. "Yeah, I'd thought it was strange, but I'd just assumed–" she was cut off by a pressure against her front legs, and looked down to find Peaches wrapping her little trunk tightly around her arm, gurgling happily, eyes shining. Nera felt her heart melt for the little bundle.

"You're just tough, aren't you, little one?" She let her other paw gently stroke over her head, careful to keep her claws retracted. She glanced up to see Manny relaxing, as he turned to Ellie again.

"Has she eaten?" he asked.

"Yes, I was just waiting for you boys before putting her to bed." They both looked expectantly towards the calf at her feet, Peaches seeming to understand immediately, as she unhappily slumped to the cave floor. Nera couldn't help but grin at her reaction and leaned her head down beside the little mammoth's ear.

"Bedtime's a bust, huh?" she murmured understandingly. "But parents word is law." she added, then gently nudged the little calf forward until she made her way back to her mother, who was currently grinning towards them.

"Hey you're pretty good with kids." Sid stated, standing beside her as Ellie lifted Peaches from the floor.

Nera straightened back into a sitting position. "Well, it doesn't take a genius to babysit." she pointed out, sliding a smug pointed gaze towards the sloth. He coughed into his paw, then slowly staggered away again. Nera smirked as she turned her head, when her eyes connected Diego's, then quickly looked away.

As Ellie carried Peaches back to the fire, lowered them slowly to the ground, her trunk curled around the baby mammoth, who was already fast asleep. Nera watched silently as the others gathered around as well, each taking a place around the fire; Manny beside Ellie, Diego next to the mammoth, Sid beside him, and Crash and Eddie finishing the circle.

When the possums looked back to her, signaling for her to join them, the slowly walked forward, seating herself between the brothers and Sid.

"So, um…" she started, then drifted off.

"Sorry," Nera said quickly, realizing she'd never mentioned her name. "I'm Nera."

"Nera," Ellie echoed brightly. "So, what brings you here?" she asked conversationally. Nera tensed at the sudden mentioning of the subject.

"That's what we'd like to know." Diego said firmly, his green eyes piercing Nera's gray ones. Suddenly all attention was on her.

_Well,_ she sighed acceptingly, _might as well get on with it_.

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End Notes: Well, I hope everyone liked this one, despite the wait, and I already have ideas for the next one! Hehe! So we got a little more of Nera's story (not much I know) but next time it all comes out! Please keep reading. Feel free to review, as I'm going to start giving personal responses to them in my future end notes.

**And also, on another note, I really don't appreciate people **_**threatening **_**me to write the next chapter. You know who you are, and the comments are still up. I work how I feel comfortable, and will continue to do so. I got back on track, thanks to ENCOURAGEING comments that I received (thank you for those who did) Now as I said before, I apologize for the wait, and will post the next one just as soon as I possibly can. Just set it to 'alert', and you'll know as soon as it's posted. Trust me, I want more chapters up as much as you do. THANK YOU for those who have been understanding and patient.**

**THANK YOU FOR READING EVERYONE!! (^.^)**


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